A Reversal of Fortunes (rewrite)
by Konrad von Selle
Summary: An unexpected decision on their father's part reverses the fortunes of Rin and Sakura. Ten years have passed since, and now as the Fifth Holy Grail War begins, the two sisters must play the roles prepared for them, on a stage stained black with blood and fire.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate/Stay Night.

A Reversal of Fortunes

Prologue

Ayako Mitsuzuri blinked as she saw the single pair of shoes on the rack outside the _kyuudo_ clubroom. Scratching her cheek for a moment, she sighed, and knelt down to begin pulling her own shoes off.

Putting her shoes on the shoe rack, Ayako quietly slid open the doors into the clubroom, and closing them behind her quickly made her way through the room. "I knew it." She said with an exasperated sigh, as she found the person she was looking for.

Sleeping in one corner was a girl about a year younger than Ayako. She also wore the Homurahara Academy uniform, and her dark hair had been cut short, with a red ribbon tied at her left brow. Beside the girl was a neatly-kept bento, clearly showing the girl had quickly eaten lunch in the room before falling asleep.

Ayako bent down and began to gently nudge the girl awake. "Hey," she said softly. "Sakura, wake up, Sakura. Sakura,"

Slowly, the girl woke up, eyelids fluttering to show irises of a brilliant blue shade. The girl blankly blinked up at Ayako as the older girl straightened up, and then leaning back closed her eyes again.

"Hey!" Ayako snapped, bending back down and nudging the girl again. "Don't go back to sleep!"

"Go away." Sakura Tohsaka groused, refusing to open her eyes. "I'm tired."

"Even so," Ayako said, pulling Sakura to her feet and forcing the younger girl to keep her eyes open. "This is no place to take a nap in."

Sakura didn't say anything, opting to stretch her arms overhead before seemingly regaining her full faculties. "Rough night?" Ayako asked.

"Depends," Sakura asked. Ayako gave a small laugh and walked over to the shooting range. Sakura followed, Ayako speaking up as they walked the short distance.

"Depends on what?" the older girl asked.

"It depends on what you think a rough night is."

Ayako actually giggled at that. "That sounds just like you." She said. "Well, what would you call a rough night?"

"It wasn't really a rough night by any stretch of the imagination." Sakura replied, sitting down against a wooden pillar as Ayako sat down nearby. "More like I haven't been getting much sleep over the past few days. For one thing, the teachers have been putting out a lot of schoolwork for us to do and study over the past few days, and it's really cutting into sleeping time."

"Hmm," Ayako hummed sympathetically while chewing her lunch. "Well I suppose that's true, everyone's been really busy the past week. Still, don't sleep here: it's impolite."

"Yes, yes," Sakura said with a sigh. "Next time I'll go sleep on the roof. Really, I'd expect you to show some leeway to your top archer on the team, but I guess that's for nothing, eh?"

"This and that are entirely different things!" Ayako snapped. "For one thing, I've got responsibilities as team captain _and_ club president and…"

She trailed off as Sakura began to laugh. Ayako scowled as Sakura continued to laugh, but after a moment she joined in, the two girls laughing at the ridiculous line of thought and the argument over it for several moments before calming down. "Yes, yes," Sakura finally said. "I get your point: as club president and team captain you've got to set an example. Well, I wouldn't want to cause trouble for you, so sorry."

"That apology doesn't so sincere." Ayako teased.

"Hey!"

Ayako laughed, and Sakura laughed a bit too after a moment. "Seriously though," Ayako asked. "Has the schoolwork really been affecting your sleep that badly?"

"It's not just the schoolwork." Sakura said with a sigh. "I've got other responsibilities to deal with, both in and out of school. It's a pain, plain and simple."

Ayako smiled sympathetically. "Hang in there," she said. "It can't be helped, right? So you might as well do your best, right?"

Sakura wistfully smiled back, and nodded with a sigh. "Yeah," she said. "It can't be helped. So I might as well do everything I can."

They sat in silence for a few minutes afterwards, Ayako eating while Sakura looked out over the shooting range. "Hey," Ayako began. "If I were to say I would nominate you as the next team captain, what would you say?"

There was no answer, and after a couple of moments Ayako turned to the younger girl. "Sakura…" she began only to trail off with a sigh.

Sakura was asleep, her head slumped down over her chest, the girl sitting back against a wooden pillar. Ayako took a look at her wristwatch, and sighed again. "It can't be helped, I guess." she said. "Well, we still have twenty minutes left, so I might as well just let her sleep it off. She can just owe me one afterward."

* * *

"Thanks."

"For what?" Ayako asked as she and Sakura walked down the school corridors back to their classrooms.

"You know what," Sakura said evasively, trying to keep her impromptu naps secret or at least known to as few people as possible.

Ayako snickered. "You're welcome." She said. "Just remember: you owe me for it. And I will collect, sooner or later."

Sakura laughed as well. "Yes, yes," she said. "I get it. As long it's nothing unreasonable, mind."

"That's fair enough, I guess." Ayako said. The two girls came to a halt outside Ayako's classroom. "Well, you are the best archer I've got, so I have to look out for you. And I expect you to do the same next year, when you…"

"Captain," Sakura interrupted with a reproving smile. "The schoolyear's not over yet, so you might find someone else better suited for the role you're referring to."

"Fat chance," Ayako said with a grin and roll of her eyes. "Still, in a way you do have a point, so let's not talk about that topic, at least not here. Anyway, classes are about to start, so you should get going."

Sakura nodded. "Yes," she said. "Well, see you later during club time, Ayako-sempai."

"Yeah," Ayako said, waving after the younger girl as she strolled away. "See you later, Sakura."

Sakura smiled over a shoulder at Ayako before making her way back to her classroom. Along the way she passed by and cheerfully exchanged passing pleasantries with friends and schoolmates alike.

Then, the cheer dimmed as someone appeared up ahead, walking in the opposite direction, a girl a year older than her, with long hair tied into a pair of pigtails. That wasn't unusual in itself, nor was the vivid violet of her irises, but the matching color of her hair was _very_ disturbing in its implications.

Sakura after all, could tell it _wasn't_ hair dye, like most people assumed. She, and the violet-haired girl, were not like most people after all.

"Matou-sempai," Sakura greeted the girl with a polite nod, a nod the girl returned.

"Tohsaka-san," Rin Matou returned the greeting with a curt nod, the two girls quickly passing each other. Neither stopped walking, but Sakura briefly looked over her shoulder at the older girl walking away behind her.

Rin never looked back, and after a moment Sakura looked forward again, and stepped up her pace.

Classes were about to start.

* * *

The arrow flew straight and true, striking the target dead center. Applause went up at that, and Sakura turned and bowed to the rest of the _kyuudo_ club and team alike. "Hey," one of the newer members said with a raised hand. "Can I ask a question?"

"Go ahead." Ayako said from where Sakura was standing.

"Actually I've been wondering about this ever since we joined up." The boy said somewhat hesitantly. "It's just that…I, I noticed that Tohsaka-sempai and the rest of the _kyuudo_ team and a few older members don't quite use the proper forms, or well, the forms taught to us."

"Why is that, you ask?" Sakura asked with a small smile.

"W-well, yes, I mean, I…"

"No, it's fine." Sakura said with a glance at Ayako, who nodded at Sakura, indicating she should answer the question. "After all, we keep drilling you until you know the proper stances and forms by heart, and here we are looking like hypocrites."

The newbies were silent, but then Sakura held up her bow. "You deserve an explanation, so here we go." She said, stepping into a textbook-perfect stance. "This is the proper stance and form for _kyuudo_. Thing is, while it's proper, it's not the _best_ stance for everyone. Some can use this form and perfect their archery with it. Others however, find it cumbersome to work their best with it. And so…"

Sakura trailed off, shifting to the stance she used earlier, gasps coming up from the newbies, as they finally saw that while it wasn't quite the proper form, it wasn't a sloppy rendition of it either. It was a personalization of the proper form by someone who already knew it by heart, and simply adapted it to better suit herself while keeping everything learning and using the proper form was meant to do.

"Basically," Ayako added. "Learn how to do it right, that way when you make your personal styles you can do it right as well. Right then,"

Ayako paused and gestured at the shooting range. "You've got your demonstration, now it's your turn to try it out." She said. "You know the drill, so get practicing."

As the newbies bustled about, Sakura shared a nod with Ayako before stepping aside to let the newbies get to the range. For a few minutes she and the rest of the club and team watched the newbies practice, and then blinked as she felt someone tug politely at her sleeve.

Turning her head, she looked at Shinji Matou and raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you?" she asked.

Shinji gestured to another room to the side. "Let's talk." He said, and while Sakura quirked her eyebrow again she didn't say anything, instead opting to lead the way to the other room.

"What's this all about?" Sakura asked as Shinji closed the door.

"Do you mind setting up a bounded field?"

Sakura stayed silent, and after a moment, Shinji sighed. "I've come with a message." He said.

"From who?"

"My sister,"

Sakura blinked, and then narrowed her eyes. "So what does Rin have to say that she sent her…half-brother, to relay it to me, instead of telling me herself?" she asked.

"A warning," Shinji said. "I already have mine so do you have yours? You'll die if you don't get one soon."

Sakura didn't answer at once. "Is that all?" she eventually said.

"Yes, that's all."

Sakura strode past Shinji, and opened the door. She paused as she passed the doorframe however, as Shinji spoke up. "Nothing to say to her?" he asked with a small, mocking smile.

Sakura stayed silent and frozen for a few moments longer, and then without a word, left Shinji behind.

* * *

A/N

Well, here's the rewritten version. As I said in the original, I wrote myself into a corner, so unfortunately I'm going to have to reboot the whole story. Once again, I apologize for everyone invested in the original, but it'd be insulting to continue the story as it was, as it would have necessitated some ass-pulls to get out of the corner I wrote it into. The fault is all mine, so hopefully this rewrite will catch your fancy.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate/Stay Night.

A Reversal of Fortunes

Chapter 1

It was rather late at night, and yet in the city proper of Fuyuki, the nightlife was very much in full swing. People of all ages and occupations, from underage to those past their prime, from the respectable to the less than respectable, men and women alike thronged the streets of the city, either coming and going from one place or another, or just reveling to cut loose in the scant few hours of freedom that was the lot of Japanese urbanites.

The sound of vehicle engines, of countless voices chitchatting, and hundreds of other sounds besides filled the air, while the glow of neon, incandescent, fluorescent, vehicle, and other lights besides, melted together in a diffuse but bright glow that percolated up from the city, and together with the clouds above blotted out the stars. Skyscrapers and other buildings reached up from the ground, some dark others brightly lit, but most dotted with a scattering of light that filtered through curtains or flowed freely from unobstructed windows. Most skyscrapers belonged to corporate giants, some greater or lesser than the others, while others belonged to the government or were shared between a variety of organizations. Others were residential in nature.

Given the profusion of Humanity that thronged the city, one would think that crime and violence could not go unnoticed either by the masses or the authorities, such was the number of potential witnesses. If so, then one would be mistaken.

Even if one could somehow overcome the tendency of people to ignore things and happenings which did not concern them, it was inevitable that the cityscape of Fuyuki would have dark and shadowed corners, empty and secluded places in ample amount. In such places, those who otherwise would have drawn what was for them unwelcome attention, either to themselves or to their business, could go about with impunity.

A goshawk winged its way high above the glittering cityscape, its grey and white plumage fluttering with the currents of its flight. Golden eyes focused on the rooftop of a public parking building, where three figures forced a fourth figure onto the floor.

The three figures were young men, probably of college age, dressed in such a way that they clearly didn't lack for money, and in the latest fashions of young Japanese men. The fourth was a young woman, only a few years older than them from the look of things.

The woman struggled vainly against two of the men as they held her down, muffling her screams and cries by stuffing a twisted wad of cloth in her mouth. The third man forcibly spread the woman's legs and after tearing her blouse and skirt open, briefly squeezed her breasts before beginning to undo his trousers.

The goshawk cried once, a piercing sound shattering the night as the raptor began to circle. A girl stood atop a nearby skyscraper, looking down at the grotesque scene below. The wind blew through her hair and fluttered against her skirt, sleeves, and the straps of her _muneate_. After a moment, she lifted the _yumi_ she carried in one hand, and pulled an arrow from the quiver behind her waist.

Nocking the arrow, the archer pulled the string back, reinforced eyes aiming down at the would-be rapist, who she saw tearing off the victim's panties. She held her breath, and let go.

The arrow flew straight and true, and even as the would-be rapist positioned himself, punched through his head with enough force to send him crashing against the ground to one side. His accomplices stared in shock at their dead friend, an arrow punched straight through his head.

In that time, the archer had taken another arrow, nocked, drew, aimed and released. Another man went down, an arrow through his head.

The third man broke and bolted, running for the rooftop door. The archer followed his path with her eyes, took aim, drew, and released.

The arrow punched through a leg, shattering bone and causing the man to fall screaming and thrashing in agony. The archer smiled vindictively, pulling out another arrow and nocked it into her _yumi_.

She drew, took aim, and released. The man fell dead, an arrow through his throat and out the back of his neck.

The victim staggered to her feet, breathing hard from her recent ordeal and near escape. She looked around and to the surrounding buildings where an archer might have shot the arrows from and saved her, but she could see no one.

The archer had already left, vanishing into the night. In the skies above, the goshawk cried once as it soared up and away, over the glittering city below.

All the victim could do was wipe at her tear-stained cheeks, pull her clothes back into place to regain some measure of her dignity, and look at the corpses of her would-be rapists with a mix of fear, hatred, and vengeful satisfaction. And remember with awe and gratitude her unseen savior.

* * *

"On other news this morning," the pretty newscaster on TV said. "The mysterious vigilante known as the Huntress struck again last night. According to survivor testimony, three men attempting to rape a woman at the Kotomaki Parking Building were killed by arrows, which fits the Huntress' MO for the past two years. Police Chief Hajime…"

Shirou Emiya sighed as he listened to the news. "Do you want to talk about it?" Rin Matou asked from the nearby kitchen, where she was cooking breakfast.

"Same old, same old," Shirou said. "On one hand I can't help but admire the Huntress for saving people who otherwise wouldn't have been. But on the other hand, does she have to kill all the time?"

Rin didn't reply at once. Violet irises glanced from the corner of their eyes at the redheaded boy sitting at the table watching the morning news, and after a moment turned back to the frying pan over the stove.

"Well," she said. "Maybe she doesn't have any other option?"

"I don't believe that." Shirou said. "She could always shoot the criminals' hands or somewhere else that won't kill them."

"Isn't that rather cruel?" Rin asked with a small smile. "I mean, depending on where the arrow hits, the injuries might not heal properly. Like say, someone gets their knee torn up by one of the Huntress' arrows, and if they can't afford expensive reconstruction surgery they may have to have their leg cut off and be left a cripple. Death would be a mercy, wouldn't it?"

"W-what?" Shirou asked in disbelief.

Rin sighed and turned to look at him. "It's sad," she said. "But you know as well as I do that there's always been a certain degree of discrimination in this wonderful country of ours towards cripples, don't you Shirou?"

Shirou looked away and sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's true." He said. "But crippling someone permanently doesn't have to happen. I mean, a lot of people got shot up by arrows in the _sengoku jidai_ and didn't end up cripples for it, and they had none of our modern medicine. I'd say the Huntress has the choice to avoid killing her targets but decides otherwise simply because she can."

Rin giggled as she slid the fried vegetables out of the frying pan onto a serving plate, and setting the pan down on the stove carried the dish to the table. "Don't let it get to you." She said, setting the plate down on the table. "If you get angry this early in the morning, it'll ruin your day."

Shirou stared up at Rin for a few moments, and then with another sighed nodded and smiled. "Yeah, you're probably right." He said, and Rin beamed down at him.

"Now then," she said. "Eat up, breakfast's still a bit off, and this should blunt your appetite a bit."

"But, I…"

"It's fine, it's fine," Rin said, waving Shirou off as she walked back into the kitchen. "I'll make some more for us all, so you can have all that if you want. Or just a few bites, really."

"Y-yeah," Shirou said, and sighed again. He picked up his chopsticks, tapped them on the tabletop, and took a pinch of fried vegetables. " _Itadakimasu_ …hmm, you've really mastered fried vegetables haven't you, Rin?"

Rin giggled. "Flatterer," she said. "But thanks."

"No really, your fried vegetables are the best." Shirou said, eating another pinch of fried vegetables. "Better than what I can do. You'll make a good wife someday"

Rin smiled, almost sadly had Shirou been closer. "I'm glad to hear that." She said softly. Shirou blinked at that, glanced at Rin, and then back at the TV.

"Sorry," he said. "That was inappropriate."

"No," Rin said. "It's fine."

The two of them stayed silent for a couple of minutes, and then Rin spoke up. "As usual though," she said. "While you disagree with the Huntress killing people, you don't seem to mind her being a vigilante."

"The law isn't perfect." Shirou said. "It can't see everything and everyone everywhere, and even when criminals and villains get caught, they can still get away. Whether it's because they have money, friends in high places, or simply because they know how to use the law's own limits, they can get away with their crimes and having hurt other people, and keep at it too."

Rin was silent, staring down at her cooking. She'd heard all this before of course, it was hardly the first time they'd talked about the Huntress. But even so, she still wanted to hear him say it.

Even if it was just a fantasy, an empty comfort that quickly passed with no substance to it, she still wanted to hear him say it.

"And?" she prompted him.

"When the law is powerless to stop evil," Shirou said. "People have to make a stand. They have to stand for what's right, and fight for it if they have to. That's why, that's why I believe if something right needs to be done in front of you, you should go ahead and do so. Otherwise, if you just turn a blind eye to the evil in front of you, how can you stand looking at yourself in the mirror?"

Rin smiled sadly at that. "But," she said. "Just because you can do what's right, there's no guarantee you'll succeed, is there? It's sad, but sometimes, sometimes…evil, evil is just too strong, and all a righteous man can do is fall and die."

"You don't actually believe in that, do you?" Shirou asked, turning to look at Rin.

"I…I don't want to." Rin said slowly. "But that's the way the world is."

Shirou turned away, and silently ate a few more pinches of fried vegetables. "I want to believe in a better path." He eventually said. "I want to believe that even if you don't succeed, you still have to try and do what's right. Even if you die in the process, then at least you can die knowing you did the right thing, and can hope that someday, somehow, someone else can finish what you started. At least, that's what I want to believe."

"Hero of Justice, eh?"

Shirou smiled. "It's a childish dream, isn't it?" he asked, turning to look at Rin. "Even so, I'd like to dream for just a bit longer."

"It's a wonderful dream." Rin said. "But, what will you do when you wake up?"

Shirou didn't answer at once. "I don't know." He eventually said. But then he turned to her, and smiled. "I guess I'll just have to make things up as they go, and do my best."

Rin chuckled. "That sounds just like you." She said, and Shirou laughed as well.

"I guess it does, doesn't it?" he asked, and Rin laughed again.

Shirou chewed on a mouthful of fried vegetables as a reporter asked people on the street about their opinions of the Huntress.

"She's a menace that's what." One said.

"She's just another criminal, plain and simple." Another said.

"I think she should turn herself in, or if she isn't brave enough to take responsibility for killing people, then she should fall in line like everyone else and actually let the police and the courts do their jobs. Laws exist for a reason, damn it!" a third person said.

"Considering the judge let that creep who killed kids walk last year," a fourth person said. "And it was the Huntress who finally brought him to justice, then I say she should keep up the good work."

"Well, she only kills bad people doesn't she?" a fifth person – a schoolgirl – said with a shy smile. "So I guess, if you're not going to do bad things at night, then you shouldn't have to worry about the Huntress going after you."

"I understand why people think the Huntress and other vigilantes are doing the right thing." A sixth person said. "But, what about Human Rights? The people they're killing have the right to a fair trial and legal protection you know."

"If a reporter on the street asked you what you think of the Huntress," Rin asked as she put more platters of food on the table. "What would you say?"

Shirou stared at her for a moment, his chopsticks in his mouth. And then he smiled, pulling them out. "I'd say there's nothing wrong with her helping people." He said. "But she should knock off actually killing people."

Rin smiled back, while the sound of shouting at the door about breakfast heralded the arrival of Taiga Fujimura. "Always believing in the best of everyone, don't you?" she asked.

"Is that so wrong?" Shirou asked, following Rin with his eyes as she returned to the kitchen.

"No, I think it's a wonderful thing."

"I see."

* * *

Sakura hummed as she swept the floor of the classroom, today being her assigned day for cleaning duty. As was expected of her, she'd come early, earlier than her assigned partner for the day in fact.

She'd finished sweeping the floor and was about to get started on wiping the desks when the classroom doors slid open. "Good morning." Minori Mitsuzuri said as he entered.

"Good morning." Sakura returned the greeting. "I've already finished sweeping the floor, so you can dust the chalkboard while I wipe the desks."

"Alright," Minori said with a nod, putting his things under his desk before heading over to the chalkboard.

The two of them worked in silence for a while, but a few minutes later the boy hesitantly spoke up. "So," he began. "How are things?"

"Things?" Sakura echoed questioningly.

"Yeah, things." Minori said lamely, keeping his eyes away from Sakura. "I mean…you are the top student in our class, so you're also class representative aren't you? And then you're also nee-chan's top archer so…"

The boy trailed off lamely, but after a moment Sakura smiled and shrugged. "Managing," she said. "It's easier said than done of course, but I do what I can."

"I see."

Sakura giggled at that, watching with some amusement the faint blush appearing on Minori's visible cheek. She knew the boy had a crush on her, though he'd never actually tried to ask her out, or even confess for that matter.

" _I'm not that unapproachable, am I?_ " Sakura thought. " _Then again, it's probably for the best if he doesn't. Because if he does, I'm going to have to turn him down. It would be crueler to indulge him when there's no chance of anything developing between us in the long term._ "

Sakura found herself sighing at the thought. But it was the truth: the was _no_ chance of _anything_ long term developing between her and Minori, simply because unlike her, he was no magus, nor did he have any magical potential whatsoever.

As a magus, and as the heiress of the Tohsaka Clan, she had an obligation to ensure that the next generation of the Tohsaka would have greater potential than what she already possessed. Considering her potential was already first-class even for a sixth-generation magus, it would be a tall order finding someone with matching or at least complementary potential to her own in order to fulfil the aforementioned obligation.

And more to the point, it automatically disqualified Minori, as his lack of magic potential would certainly drag down the potential of any children they might have had in a serious relationship.

" _Other people might say I'm overthinking things,_ " Sakura thought. " _A teenage relationship doesn't need to last and evolve into a truly serious one after all. But, either way it becomes a waste of time and effort, so there's no real point in getting involved at all_."

Sakura sighed again. " _If only the Tohsaka were an ordinary, if wealthy family._ " She thought bitterly. " _I'd still probably have the rest of my family, and I wouldn't have to consider breeding myself and my children like cattle, not to mention risking not just my life but even my_ _ **soul**_ _when working the family business._ "

"…of her?" Minori asked, and Sakura blinked.

"W-what?" she stammered. "Sorry, I spaced out for a bit, so what did you ask again?"

Minori smiled at her. "I said," he repeated. "What do you think of the Huntress, after last night?"

"The Huntress…?" Sakura echoed. "Oh, that vigilante."

Sakura smiled and shrugged. "Well," she began. "On one hand, like what happened last night, she helps people who otherwise would never have gotten help. Keeping someone from getting raped or killed or turned into addicts is better, at face value at least, than helping them or their families cope from what would have happened otherwise."

"But?"

Sakura paused to glance at Minori. "On the other hand, she's rather selfish, isn't she?" Sakura asked softly. "I'm sure there's a story behind her taking the law into her own hands, which may justify her actions at face value at least, but…"

"Who or what gives her the right to kill people?"

"Yes." Sakura said with a small nod. "Or rather, is she really changing things for the better? Every time I hear of the Huntress mentioned as killing criminals who might have escaped unnoticed or had managed to slip free of the law, I can't help but wonder, can justice really be achieved outside of the law? If yes, then what's the point in having laws and a justice system in the first place? If no, then what's the point in what the Huntress does?"

"Sakura-san,"

"You know, Minori-kun," Sakura began. "I can't help but wonder if this is how the Huntress thinks?"

"Huh?"

"I wonder if she thinks that in this world, where having money, friends or relatives in high places, or simply being clever enough allows evil to escape responsibility, then those who want to protect must also play the same game."

Minori blinked. "What?" he asked softly.

Sakura smiled sadly at him. "Playing the same game," she said. "That is to become a predator herself, and preying on other predators end them before they can threaten anyone else."

Minori looked troubled. "Do you really think so?" he asked.

Sakura shrugged. "Who knows?" she said. "Maybe I'm just being sentimental, and overthinking the Huntress' motives, or giving her too much credit. She could be what I said she is. Or maybe she's a former victim herself, and just wants revenge. Or someone else entirely."

Sakura sighed and resumed wiping the desks. "Anyway," she said. "That's not really something schoolchildren like us should be worrying over. And we still have work to do, don't we?"

Minori nodded. "That's true on both counts." He said, turning back to the chalkboard, silence again falling between them as they worked.

'… _not really something schoolchildren like us should be worrying over'…? I surprise myself sometimes._

* * *

A/N

Now who could 'the Huntress' possibly be?

Minori Mitsuzuri is a canon character, not an OC. He's Ayako's younger brother, and he does have a crush on canon Sakura and actually resents Shirou a bit, apparently for being Sakura's crush. Does AU Sakura have a crush on Shirou too? Maybe, maybe not.

Finally, no, Sakura was not exaggerating. Magi practice eugenics i.e. selective breeding to maximize the potential of succeeding generations, so yes, they – and she – have to breed their children like cattle, no matter how foul a taste that would leave behind in the mouths of decent people. As for risking her soul, also yes, since magecraft especially higher-level mysteries involve concepts, and playing around with those could result in mishaps with metaphysical consequences.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate/Stay Night.

A Reversal of Fortunes

Chapter 2

"Hey, did you know? Takeshi-sempai's asked Hitomi-chan out on a date tomorrow night!"

"Really?"

"That's great Hitomi-chan!"

"I'm so jealous, but congratulations Hitomi-chan! He's a great catch!"

Sakura ignored her friends' babbling, focusing on eating her lunch, popping meat, vegetables, and rice into her mouth, quietly chewing and swallowing at a quick but reserved pace. Predictably, it didn't last.

"Hey," Tamako Kotobuki began. "Sakura-chan, what do you think? Takeshi-sempai's…"

"I heard." Sakura said, briefly pausing. "Hmm, it's not really my place to tell you what to do, or who you go out with, but you should be careful."

The girls stared. Sakura resumed eating. Tamako coughed. "Um," she began hesitantly. "You don't actually believe in _those_ rumors, do you?"

Sakura finished chewing her mouthful and swallowed it before replying. "No comment." She said. "But it is true that Kotori-sempai, Nanako-sempai, Kirishima-sempai, Subaru-chan, and Tatsuki-chan all transferred out after getting involved with Motomiya-sempai."

The girls looked uneasily at each other. "I-I think you're overreacting." Hitomi Mitsuishi finally said in a small voice. She paused and took a deep breath. "I mean, yeah, they transferred out because Takeshi-sempai broke up with them, but it's not proof those rumors about them being forced to have abortions is true. They probably just…wanted, wanted to start over. As for the other rumors…well, Shijima-kun had rich parents. You'd think if he was really being bullied by Takeshi-sempai, his parents would have sued. No, I think someone jealous is just trying to make Takeshi-sempai look bad."

"I agree." Tamako said with a nod. "Honestly, you really shouldn't put too much trust in rumors you know, Sakura-chan. And you're supposed to be high-born too…"

"Hey now!" Sakura protested darkly. "I don't see how my family's social status comes into this. Not to mention it doesn't really mean much, seeing that I'm the only one left."

Tamako closed her mouth, and after briefly fumbling, nodded. "Sorry," she said. "I went too far."

Sakura didn't say anything, but after a moment she nodded. "Just don't bring it up again." She said.

Tamako nodded, and Sakura sighed. "I'll admit that there's no real proof behind the rumors." She said. "And Motomiya-sempai has a lot for other people to be jealous of him. He's rich, handsome, popular, and has a good future ahead of him…"

"I heard that another one of the big baseball leagues scouted him out the other day." One of the girls nearby whispered, prompting a storm of excited squeals and murmurs from all the girls involved in the discussion, except for Sakura who just looked cool and unconcerned at the commotion.

" _Why are most girls my age so shallow?_ " Sakura thought. " _I mean it doesn't take much to see the school's been sweeping all the stunts he pulls under the carpet, all because he's a gifted athlete. Not too much brains though…_ "

Sakura sighed, and slowly ran a hand through her hair. " _Well,_ " she thought. " _He's smart enough at least not to go after me, or to avoid ignoring the whole concept of consent…so far._ "

Eyes narrowed as the magus resumed eating her lunch. " _The moment he ignores it,_ " she thought. " _Regardless of if it's my friends or not who he takes advantage of, I'll fry him like an onion ring._ "

Sakura took a few bites, and then turned back to her friends. "Well," she said. "At the very least, do be careful and don't do anything you might regret. We've still got our whole lives ahead of us."

Hitomi blushed slightly but narrowed her eyes regardless. "W-w-what is that supposed to mean?" she asked testily. "You don't actually think I would…"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." Sakura interrupted. "Teenagers will be teenagers after all. Who knows what might happen in the heat of the moment."

Hitomi sniffed and most of the girls looked a bit insulted. "Right," Mimiru Hattori said testily. "And you're one to judge?"

Sakura paused, tilted her head, and then smiled mischievously. "I'm a teenager too, aren't I?" she asked. "And I don't recall ever saying I don't get interested every so often in, well, you know, boys."

There was a titter of laughter at that, and the tension dropped. "Honestly," Tamako said. "You're too wound up, Sakura-chan. You _really_ should get a boyfriend and let the steam off. Hey, there are plenty of good-looking guys in the baseball club apart from Takeshi-sempai, or the other sports clubs. Come to think of it, Matou-sempai from the _kyuudo_ club isn't bad looking either. You might want to ask any of them out, Sakura-chan."

"No thanks." Sakura said with a small smile. "As you mentioned earlier, I'm high-born, so I have set expectations to live up to."

Tamako opened her mouth, and then just as quickly closed it. "Point," she admitted. "But, isn't Matou-sempai also…"

"No." Sakura interrupted firmly. "Even if he doesn't act all too similar to Motomiya-sempai, he's not my type."

"You say that as though you're not a jock yourself." Tamako asked dryly.

"Excuse me?"

"And who is the top archer of the _kyuudo_ team?"

Sakura twitched, but didn't say anything, as Tamako grinned and the rest of the girls giggled at Sakura's expense. "But enough about that," Tamako said, leaning in close to Sakura. "So, you have preferences of your own I see. Care to share?"

"T-t-that's…"

There was a series of knocks at the door, and heads across the classroom turned to look at the violet-haired upperclassman at the door. Rin raised an eyebrow at the attention, but kept her eyes on Sakura. "Excuse me," she said. "But can I borrow Tohsaka-san for a moment? I have something important to discuss with her briefly."

The girls looked at each other and then at Sakura, who was already packing up her all-but-finished lunch. "Sorry girls," she said cheerfully. "But I have something to attend to."

Tamako made a disappointed sound, but then shrugged. "Oh well," she said. "We'll find out sooner or later. Mark my words Sakura-chan, we'll figure out your preferences soon enough!"

"Yes, yes," Sakura said with a roll of her eyes but with a small smile of her own. "You probably will. But not today, and not until it comes up again."

 _Hopefully not: you'll just make fun of me if you did find out._

Sakura put her things under her desk, and walked to the doors. "I'll be sure to be back before afternoon classes start." She said over a shoulder.

"That's still over half an hour away." Tamako called after Sakura. "Go ahead and take your time with whatever it is Matou-sempai needs with you."

"Yes, yes."

* * *

"So," Sakura began as she followed Rin to a corner of the floor. "What did you want to…?"

Sakura trailed off as a bounded field slammed into place around them, but before she could react more than that she found herself grabbed by the throat and slammed hard against a wall. Caught by surprise, she couldn't brace much less reinforce herself, the impact dazing her even as Rin lifted Sakura off the ground, all the while holding her against the wall.

Sakura gasped as Rin tightened her fingers, the younger girl's fingers prying at Rin's fingers. "You received my brother's message, didn't you?" Rin asked softly, amethyst eyes cold and hard.

"W-w-what of it?" Sakura gasped out.

"And yet, you haven't summoned a Servant yet." Rin said, briefly tightening her grip and causing Sakura to spasm against the wall. "Do you think this is some sort of game? I wouldn't be surprised, everything is a game to you. It always has been, ever since you were a child."

"W-what are you…?"

"Silence!" Rin snapped, slightly drawing back and slamming Sakura against the wall again. "I could kill you now and no one would notice, or at the very least, everyone can be made not to notice. And don't forget, the Holy Grail War has already begun. Your status as the Supervisor of this Territory, or rather the authority that came with your title, was suspended the moment the war began. Your death here and now would simply see you regarded as a casualty of the war, not the willful and deliberate murder of the Association's appointed representative."

Sakura glared at Rin, prying at the fingers at her throat, the older girl smiling at the sight. "Finally," she said. "Some steel at last. I knew you had it in you. I _know_ you, Sakura. I know your hands are covered with blood, and where it came from."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Rin snorted. "Right," she sneered, again drawing back to slam Sakura against the wall. "I'm not playing games, Tohsaka. Well,"

Rin paused and smirked. "I suppose it could be considered a game." she continued. "This whole war, that is. A game wherein we and our Servants are the pieces, the Grail is the prize, and our lives on the line."

Rin tightened her fingers briefly and caused Sakura to spasm, but with purpose this time. A couple of awkward kicks struck Rin, staggering her but not enough to break her grip, the older girl again slamming Sakura against the wall. "You like to play games don't you?" Rin asked. "Whether it's failing to present the proper image of the Tohsaka heiress, or treating the Art without the regard and honor it deserves, it's all a game to you. Something to amuse yourself with, to smile and laugh about…"

Rin trailed off, and shook her head after a few moments. "No," she said. "Too many words, because when all is said and done, you're just playing around just so you can enjoy and feel good about yourself."

Rin snorted and squeezing hard for a moment dropped a gasping and coughing Sakura to the floor. The older girl regarded the younger for a moment, and then snorted again. "Pathetic," she said. "And you're supposed to be the future of the Tohsaka, their key to the Root? In the end, you're still just a child playing a role she was never supposed to play."

With a sneer Rin bent down, and lifted Sakura by the hair…only to have an arrow stab up, at her throat, not enough to cause real damage, but enough to break the skin. "What's wrong?" Rin asked mockingly. "Go ahead, finish the job. It's an arrow crafted from a jewel, isn't it? It should be more than enough to kill me, splattering the broken pieces of my skull and the pulp of my brain across this space. Go ahead. Kill me. You've taken so much from me already what difference would not taking my life make?"

Sakura grit her teeth, holding the arrow against Rin's throat. "Why?" she asked. It wasn't the first time she'd asked the question, and it wouldn't be the last. And as expected, the remembered answer came.

 _You wouldn't understand._

"You wouldn't understand." Rin said, echoing the unspoken memory as she released Sakura's hair. "Human beings can only truly understand that which they experience in person."

Sakura grit her teeth harder. "Rin…" she whispered.

Rin leaned in as the younger girl rose to her feet. "You owe me." She said. "For everything you've taken from me, you owe it to me to take this game seriously, to play it with everything you have, as you have never played a game before."

"In short you want me to prove…"

Rin laughed cold and harsh, interrupting Sakura. "No," she said as Sakura fell silent. "I don't need you to prove anything. There is nothing to prove. All there is that needs to be done, is to settle the score between us."

"Rin…"

"The war has already begun." Rin said, drawing back and half turning to walk away. "Summon your Servant, and join the war in earnest. Do not disappoint me by getting yourself killed by someone else other than me. Your life is mine, just as mine belongs to you."

Sakura looked away, her eyes shaking. "I don't need or want your life." She whispered.

"From the moment you were born," Rin said, turning to leave. "It belonged to you, one way or another."

Without another word Rin left, the bounded field collapsing and leaving Sakura standing alone in a corner of the corridor. The younger girl stared at the older girl walking away, and then looking down at the arrow with edges lightly coated in blood, sighed before putting it away.

 _You used to be different. Even on that day, eleven years ago, you weren't like this._

 _What happened to you, Rin?_

* * *

"I saw something earlier you might find interesting."

Shirou glanced at Issei, the former fixing his things before leaving for the day. "Huh?" he said.

"You are friends with Rin Matou, aren't you?" Issei asked back.

"Yes," Shirou answered cautiously. "But, if this is going to be another one of those times where you try and convince me that Rin is, as you put it, 'no good for me' then I have to say you need a hobby, Issei."

Issei Ryuudo jolted at that, and then coughed primly. "Yes well," he said. "While I still don't trust either of the Matou siblings, since I'm also your friend and I know how your mind works, I'll tell you something you might want to be concerned for about your other friend."

Shirou sighed and looked wearily at Issei. "Alright, what is it?" he asked.

"I only saw it in passing." Issei said. "At lunch earlier, while I was walking another way, I saw Tohsaka-san and Matou-san talking in a corner. I didn't hear what they were talking about, and both girls had already parted before I could get any closer, but…"

"But?" Shirou prompted as Issei trailed off.

"I could tell it was getting rather heated." Issei said uncomfortably. "And from the look of things, Matou-san started manhandling Tohsaka-san, who – unbelievably enough – pulled an _arrow_ out to defend herself with."

"What?" Shirou asked, aghast.

"Seeing as it didn't look as though anyone got hurt," Issei continued, adjusting his glasses as he did so. "And it's arguable that Tohsaka-san was just defending herself, if overly-aggressively so, I decided not to report what I saw earlier."

Shirou nodded slowly. "Thanks for that." He said. "I know Rin's gone too far if she really was manhandling Tohsaka-san, but even so, I don't want her to get into trouble."

"Do you have any insights you can share as to why Matou-san doesn't seem to like Tohsaka-san?" Issei asked.

"Not really, no." Shirou said with a sigh. "I do know they knew each other as children, but that's it. I'm guessing something happened between them in the past, leading to their current relationship. Any more than that…well, I wouldn't want to pry, or to gossip either."

"True," Issei agreed with a nod. "Gossiping about others' private affairs is in poor taste at the least, and I wouldn't want to put you in an uncomfortable situation. Still, as one of her friends, I think you should talk to her, Matou-san that is, about what happened earlier. Not everyone will be as discreet as I am, and if someone else saw what happened earlier…"

Issei trailed off, but Shirou nodded in agreement. "Alright," he said. "I'll talk to Rin later. No promises though."

Issei nodded. "That's the best I can hope for then." He said. "Thank you, Emiya."

"No problem."

* * *

Shirou had thought long and hard about how to broach the matter to Rin, of her earlier manhandling – as Issei claimed to have seen – of Sakura Tohsaka. There was after all, the possibility of it being blown out of proportion by Issei, or even mistaken for something else, though not a falsification.

No matter how much he disliked Rin, Issei wouldn't outright lie about her. Or at least, Shirou liked to think (and believe) he wouldn't.

Regardless, considering what he knew of his friend's stormy personality, Shirou knew that if he approached the matter in the wrong way, they wouldn't be able to address it at best, and at worst Rin would storm off in a rage and only come back with an apology and a vague explanation after cooling off for a few days. So he needed to come at it right, if he was going to get to the bottom of things and do what he could to keep it from happening again, the unexplained bad blood between Rin and Sakura aside.

Somehow, it didn't go as planned it would.

"Rin," Shirou said, walking up to Rin after class, the girl fixing her things in her largely-deserted classroom. "I heard you had a fight with Tohsaka earlier."

At once, he wanted to kick himself. Even more so, as Rin's amethyst eyes shot a burning glare at him.

 _Yeah, real smooth, Shirou Emiya._

Shirou swallowed dryly, and met his friend's gaze. After several moments, Rin turned back to fixing her things. "Wait." She said, and Shirou relaxed slightly.

"Okay."

Rin didn't respond, continuing to fix her things though slowly. One by one, her few remaining classmates drifted out of the classroom, until only she and Shirou were left inside. Closing her bag, she set it on the chair, and then turning around, hopped backward to sit on her desk.

"Alright, who's been talking?" she demanded at once.

"Issei saw you in passing." Shirou said, deciding not to bring up Issei's claim that Sakura had drawn an arrow of all things, to defend herself against Rin. "He didn't hear anything, and it was from the distance so he might have misunderstood or mistaken one thing for another, but he did claim you got into a fight with Tohsaka, and it got physical."

"Issei…Ryuudo?" Rin asked with a small smile. "You know he doesn't particularly like me. Are you sure you can really believe his claims about me? It wouldn't be the first time he's blown things out of proportion."

"I know." Shirou said with a nod. "I did say that he might have misunderstood or was mistaken. But given that there's bad blood between you and Tohsaka…"

Shirou broke off to raise both hands in a placating fashion as Rin's eyes flashed. "I won't be going into that, since I don't really know much about what's it about, even if I do think it's wrong to hold on to some sort of childish grudge." He said, inwardly kicking himself again as he saw Rin grinding her teeth at what he just said. "But I'm just stating a fact, that's all. And it's a fact that you and her don't get along."

"And?" Rin ground out. "What's this got to do with my supposed fight with that damn Tohsaka earlier?"

"Considering the bad blood between you and her," Shirou said, fighting the urge to wipe his forehead. "It's all too believable that you and her had a fight over something. Though, as you say Issei blows things out proportion when it comes to you, so I'm not as believing of his claims that it went physical."

"How magnanimous of you." Rin ground out, but while Shirou was initially taken aback he quickly rallied.

"Issei might exaggerate but he never actually lies you know." He said. "And I do have a genuine concern: you are Shinji's sister. Really; you and him both have short tempers, and you both tend to lash out when you lose it."

Rin made a squeaking sound of indignation, balling both fists in the air at the accusation…only, she couldn't really deny it. Shirou sighed, and looked both reproachful and sympathetic. "Look," he said. "I'm just worried, that's all. Sooner or later, someone not as discreet as Issei will notice and take your arguments with Tohsaka the wrong way, and that could go really badly."

"Humph," Rin snorted. "If so my grandfather will just find a way to make the problem go away quietly."

"Rin…!" Shirou urgently began, only to stagger back with a cry as Rin's arm lashed out fast like lightning, and flicked a finger at his forehead.

"Mind your own business." She said, hopping down from her desk. She stretched her arms overhead, and then looked away with a touch of pink on her cheeks. "Still…I suppose it's only because you care that you're acting like this, so…thank you."

"Uh…you're welcome, but…"

"Yeah, yeah," Rin said, waving him off while walking past with her things. "I need to take better care of my temper, I get it. I still think it's none of anyone's business, but it's not completely without basis, so I'll think about it, alright? Now, shall we get going?"

"Go?" Shirou echoed, completely lost by her abrupt changing of the subject. "Go where?"

"We've got to go buy groceries for dinner, don't we?" Rin snapped. "Come on, let's go already."

Shirou stared, slightly slack-jawed at Rin, but decided after several moments to simply let it go. She did say she would think about keeping a tighter lid on her temper, and he supposed that was the best he was going to get.

Even if he didn't really get any answers as to what she and Sakura were arguing about earlier, that wasn't really any of his business. So long as they didn't fight in front of him, of course, in which case he'd do everything he could to get them to stop, maybe even for good.

Well, he'd damn try at least. But for now…

"Alright," Shirou said with sigh, and then smiling at Rin, who smiled back. "I'll just go get my things, and then we can get going."

"Just hurry it up then."

"Yes, yes."

* * *

A/N

Sorry for the late update, but things have been busy.


End file.
